The 'Defendor' Trailer Lands Online

I have been intrigued byDefendor since it went into development. It's not every day you see an indie "superhero" movie, and even rarer to see anyone using the comic craze to spin an original story. Watchmen may have deconstructed an awful lot of myth, but I feel like there's still things to say about the need for costumed vigilantes, especially as each generation discovers them all over again.

Defendor is one of the selections at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, and the early buzz on it is pretty positive so far. Directed by Peter Stebbings, it stars Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings, and Sandra Oh. It's the story of an unassuming man named Arthur Poppington, who lives in his own comic-book based world, and patrols the streets as the superhero Defendor. He's on the hunt for his arch-nemesis, Captain Industry, who he believes killed his mother and who deals in weapons and drugs. Along the way, he rescues a young prostitute (Dennings) from an undercover cop (Koteas), and winds up in therapy with Ms.Oh before proving that anyone can make a difference.

The trailer made its debut at TwitchFilms, and they've kindly provided an embed, which I've put below the jump. I'm encouraged more by the buzz than the trailer, which feels a little flat to me. Defendor seems to be a gentler version of Mystery Men, crossed with a little Alan Moore criticism and a dash of Punisher: War Zone. Still, I'm intrigued, and I'll be watching its TIFF reception, and hoping this wannabe superhero will fly.